


The Benefits of Being Understood

by 3hourlunch



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Autistic Character, Canon Compliant, Comfort, Gen, M/M, platonic with romantic feeling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28234368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3hourlunch/pseuds/3hourlunch
Summary: When Abed unexpectedly has a meltdown, it's up to Troy to help him out.-
Relationships: Study Group/Study Group, Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir, trobed - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 66





	The Benefits of Being Understood

The day had been going great. The extended director's cut of Fast and Furious 8 just arrived, he had a whole bowl of leftover butter noodles in the fridge, the study group all agreed to help with his upcoming film for class which he called “The Parrot Code” (working title)  
He walks into the study room humming the same song he always seems to get stuck in his head, sits in his seat next to Britta and Troy and waits for Jeff to arrive fashionably late. But something is off, nothing looks right.  
He places both his hands onto the table looking around at his surroundings. The table was magic, after all, it’s what kept everyone together, what drove people crazy when they were excluded. It was the one constant in the study group. Surely it could help him figure out what was so detrimentally wrong.  
Everyone was bantering like they always did. Abed wonders why they couldn’t tell something was completely wrong. He hears Britta and Annie talking over each other about some disagreement they would undoubtedly forget about in 10 minutes when he notices one of the lights in the corner of the room had been replaced. It was in the corner adjacent to the corner between Annie and the empty seat next to Jeff's empty chair. How didn’t I see it when I was coming in? Abed wondered. He was notably observant but that one light not only slipped his vision somehow as he was walking in but was now completely occupying every corner of Abed’s mind.  
Instead of the regular yellowish lighting, that one corner was painted in a distracting blue tone. He doesn't understand why this bothers him so much. He tried to reason with himself, it’s just a light. Lights get changed all the time.  
But why the hell did they have to completely change what type of light it was? He thought. He started to feel agitated and presses his hands more and more into the top of the table as if trying to make the wood engulf them.  
There was a complete genre jump in that one corner of the room. Instead of the regular fun-loving sitcom lighting, one corner was an intense cop drama. And that one light made everything bad.  
Suddenly the talking over each other that he had become so accustomed to hearing during their regular study sessions just hurt. The seam of his sweatshirt that circled his wrist is unbearably itchy. He becomes suddenly and deafeningly aware of the buzzing of the lights and the blowing of the air conditioner.  
He rocks in his chair and tugs at his sleeves. It has been so long since he’d had a meltdown, especially in front of the group and he doesn’t want it to happen now.  
But everything is just too much.  
His rocking becomes more frantic and everything looks blurry. The blue-tinted light seems to get brighter and brighter. His heart feels as though it’s either going to pop straight out his chest or be thrown up right onto the table.

“Abed?” he heard a voice, but it sounded so distant he couldn’t recognize it.  
“Abed!” the voice sounded a bit clearer now.  
Troy. It’s Troy’s voice.  
He looks over at him not quite meeting his gaze. Abed’s eyes are wide and panicked but glossed over like he wasn’t quite connected to his surroundings. The rest of the study group was quiet now, looking at Abed. Abed hates the feeling of people staring at him, especially when he’s like this. He hates feeling like everyone is pitying him, thinking he’s crazy. The feeling of being watched becomes a physical sensation, like bugs crawling all over his skin.  
“Look at me, buddy,” Troy says softly and quietly.  
Abed meets his eyes trying desperately to focus on the warmness that always radiates from them.  
“Hey Abed,” Britta says, drawing out her words like she did sometimes when she was trying to think of what she actually wants to say, “You okay?”  
Troy makes a look towards her that just screams, Stop talking and let me handle this, so clearly that Britta sucks in her lips and turns away.  
His eyes go back to Abed’s and he notices just how lost and scared Abed looks. He’s gnawing on his bottom lip to the point that Troy is scared it may start to bleed.  
“Can everyone just look away? Actually just like leave the room for a bit?” Troy suggests.  
They all agree, knowing Troy was the only one that truly understood how to help Abed. Except for Pierce who, of course, tries to make things difficult.  
“I don’t know why I have to leave my study room because some Arab is having a temper tantrum,” Pierce huffs.  
The group immediately follows up with a chorus of disappointment taking the form of saying, “Pierce!”  
A pained squeal starts to escape Abed’s mouth, and at this point, Troy does notice specks of blood dotting his lips.  
“Get out!” Troy yelled at them.  
They all shuffle out, even Pierce, and sit at the computer chairs outside the room.

“Hey, it’s just us now, okay?” Troy’s face is filled completely with caring.  
Abed nods, unclenching his jaw slightly, the squeal reaching a halt. He is still rocking in his chair but slowly as he stares into Troy’s eyes everything feels less like the end of the world.  
“Can I hold your hands?” Troy asks gently.  
Abed nods again, much livelier than his last response.  
Troy takes both of Abed’s hands in his. Abed’s hands are on top so he can pull away if he needs to and Troy squeezes knowing how pressure helps Abed come back.  
“Do you want to move to the couches, buddy?”  
Abed nods again, his mind feels more empty than anything now as he starts to calm down. Almost as if every thought he could possibly have came and left all at once.  
“I’m going to let go of your hands,” Troy narrates what he does directly before doing it, “I’m going to put my jacket over your shoulders for some pressure,” he takes his letter jacket off the back of his chair. He gently wraps it around Abed's shoulders knowing how much Abed likes the thick material. “Let's go to the couch now, okay?”  
Waiting for Abed’s nod of approval, Troy wraps an arm around Abed and half drags him to the couches, he lets Abed lay down first and then crawls next to him and wraps his arms around him firmly.  
After a few minutes, Abed says, “Thank you, Troy…” His voice was quiet and most of all just exhausted. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, I just-”  
“Hey, hey it’s okay, you don’t need to explain anything I’m just glad I was able to help,”  
Abed nuzzles into Troy’s chest hugging him tightly. “Nobody has ever understood me as well as you before,”  
Troy smiles softly, using one hand to tenderly run his fingers through Abed’s hair.  
After a little bit, he asks if he’s ready for the group to come back in. Abed nods and Troy motions for the group to come back in through the glass door. They all come back and sit on the floor (or the couch across from them in Shirley and Pierce’s case) Jeff is now with them and sits next to the couch and rests his head against the arm of the sofa.  
“I’m glad you’re okay Abed,” Jeff remarks.  
“As long as I can stay like this I’ll always be okay,”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave feedback it means a lot to me I really want to get back into writing more and have been gradually working my way into longer pieces. :)


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